Don’t beat yourself silly; even Pros have it hard!
"If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play at it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf." — Bob Hope
Let’s admit it. We love to subject ourselves to torture on the golf course - a pulled putt from 4 feet to shatter yet another chance of breaking 80, 90, or 100; a drive sliced so badly that you almost turned a golf ball into a boomerang! And just when you thought you finally mastered the game.If there was a slight sigh followed by a nod of recognition for this familiar experience, you, beleaguered golfer, are not alone. Golf is a sport so complex and multi-faceted that it can get rather frustrating to play. Yet for some obscure reason, golf has the uncanny ability to make us suckers for it.One person who can empathize with that sentiment and reconcile with the complexities of the game is Jumari Mohd Osman.
Yes, It Is THAT Tough!
Assistant Director of AutoInc Sports – a luxury car dealership - by day, a professional golf coach, as well as father to a 1 year old daughter, Jumari epitomizes the quintessential balanced golfer with a life outside of golf. His story of becoming a Golf Pro is still very much attributed to the blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice that he has put into the sport. A golfer for nearly 20 years, his passion for the sport took root at the age of 8 when he was given a home-made golf club for his birthday and began playfully hitting small coconuts mimicking a golf swing each time. Having also come from a family of golfers (his brother too is a professional golfer), he was no stranger to the sport. Jumari started caddying at the tender age of 14 only to play at a handicap of 1 at the age of 17 whilst also working adjunct in a golf shop and caddying throughout his NS years.
Professional golfing falls into two main levels which many only dream of being able to eventually attain. The Teaching Professional qualification, which Jumari has achieved, requires the golfer to play to a score of 78 consecutively for two days of play on a par 72 course whilst the more difficult Player Professional qualification requires a score of 75. Now aged 32 and a certified golf pro, Jumari recalled vividly the disappointment he felt after playing a 75 and 77 in two consecutives games of play thus falling short of the 75 average that was required for Player Pro status. Shrugging that off, he waxed lyrical about the discipline and long amounts of time required to be set aside for the rigor of practice. “On average, I spend 3-4 hours a time for 4-5 times a week at the golf driving range practicing on my pre-routine and short game”, said a clearly enthused Jumari. Over and above his golfing regimen, Jumari tries to squeeze in a 4km run at least 3 days a week to keep him from putting on the extra pounds. This, he says, is the bare minimum that has to be clocked in. And mind you, we haven’t even begun talking about the routines that the high-level playing pros go through each day.
In a way, even as serious weekend golfers, we can identify with Jumari’s golfing pains. But why do we put ourselves through it week after week? The answer is probably best summed up by this very apt saying: “Golf is like a love affair: if you don't take it seriously, it's no fun. If you do take it seriously, it breaks your heart.” Jumari still takes the sport seriously. So do most of us. It is difficult to explain to the non-golfer what is so enthralling about hitting a small dimpled ball. But the fact that the game of also golf mirrors life makes it a great sport.
Ludo Ergo Sum (I Play, Therefore I am)
On one level, botching up a single hole in a round of 18 could very well sound the death knell for your final score. That being said, a good break here or there despite a bad start could still see you salvaging a decent score at the end. Life too is like that with its twists and turns keeping all of us in suspense as to what lies next.
What comes across strikingly in Jumari is his happy-go-lucky demeanor which all golfers should strive to emulate. This was largely influenced by his father’s golfing philosophy of taking one shot at a time. Setbacks come and go but it’s all about taking control and persevering that will eventually take you to where you want to be.
In essence, golf for the pro, golf for the average player or for the fledging beginner is a sensory encounter that is to be thoroughly enjoyed. It is the complete experience from the highs you feel when you produce the sweetest of shots to the intensity from making the winning putt in match play; from the closeness to nature you feel by being at the golf course to the calming of the senses when you see the greens.With a strong sense of nostalgia in his tone, Jumari spoke fondly about the times he played at Ria Bintan Golf Course in Indonesia and Moon Valley Golf Club in Arizona as being the most beautiful and exotic places he has played at. The sport of golf thus transcends itself as not merely just a game but a chance to connect with nature and experience its beauty.
So the next time you lose 20 bucks to your buddies because of a 3 putt within 10 feet, don’t fret! Because for what it’s worth, Tiger may still be swinging at it in pain and an aspiring pro may have just shot 77 to dampen his dreams of becoming a touring pro. All this while you - frustrated golfer – can still enjoy the chirping of birds perched on the trees lining the fairways, and relish taking your next shot knowing that it does not determine your destiny. Heck, you can even get some advice from Jumari on how to improve that short game to turn the tide against your playing mates next week at the club!
Author Jumari is a certified golf coach who is passionately involved in part time coaching at various locations around Singapore.
